artist

The Inner Critic

When I am in my studio painting and everything feels like it is working well then I feel good about my choice to be an artist and in my studio happily painting away. I truly feel like I am following my bliss. But there are always those days where nothing feels like it is working well and then the inner critic appears. I find when the inner critic is present in my studio that my ability to create and take risks becomes constrained. When I am painting this is the worst time to think about what gallery owners, curators or art collectors think about my art. Because making good art is a solitary affair, I try to be alone in my studio and therefore it is important to quiet the voices of the inner critic. I simply tell my critical voice it is not welcome here and show it the door. Making good art initially requires playful intuition and trying things just for the sake of doing something new. It is not until the painting is getting closer to completion that the evaluation process is needed. Then I can look at my painting with more scrutiny and ask myself what is need to make this work of art the best it can be in this moment.